Free The Circle Eight: Nicholas by Emma Lang Page A

meowed, growing louder each time. Soon it was louder than any infant that ever wailed.
    Nick, feeling guilty since he’d let the cat in, squatted down and scooped it up. “I prefer my eardrums in one piece.” As he walked back toward the door, the cat wriggled, attempting to escape. “Oh no you don’t. Out you go.”
    It took him three tries before he was able to get the critter on the other side of the door. It yowled in protest. Loud enough to wake every bird within two miles. Shaking his head, he turned and found Winnie laughing silently.
    “Wrangling cats is different from wrangling cattle, hm?” She appeared to be highly amused by his battle with her crazy cat.
    “Not so much. Cattle are just as annoying.” He folded his arms and scowled. Her smile disappeared and he cursed silently for being the cause of it. Nick forced himself to relax and attempted to calm his unruly brows.
    She shook her head. “You cannot stop yourself, can you?”
    “Stop myself from doing what?”
    Winnie stepped up to him and lifted her small hand toward his face. She smoothed her finger above his eyes. “You’re barely twenty-four and already have dents in your forehead.”
    His cheeks heated and he damn well hope d he wasn’t blushing. “I’m in the sun a lot.”
    “You wear a hat in the sun.”
    He wanted to move away from her but at the same time, he wanted to stand there and let her touch him all night. “I am who I am.”
    She cupped his cheek. “ As am I.” She stood on her tiptoes and brushed her lips across his.
    Nick closed his eyes and hoped for the strength to resist her. He couldn’t be distracted by their physical pull. If he wanted to help her find her daughter, he needed all his wits about him. That wouldn’t happen if he spent his time thinking about her beautiful breasts or how soft her thighs were.
    She moved away and he swayed toward her. Foolish man. Fortunately she didn’t see the lovesick idiocy.
    “I have plenty of food left from what Eva packed. She must have thought there were six of us.” Winnie, unaware he was fighting the urge to do more than stand there, set out food on plates. “I have water to drink. I hope that will do. I normally have milk delivered from a farm nearby but since I haven’t been here—” She stopped and turned to look at him. “Nicholas?”
    He shook his head. “ I’ll sleep in the barn.”
    Her expression fell and he refused to acknowledge the pain in her eyes.
    “You don’t have to.”
    Nicholas wanted nothing more than to stay with her in the boardinghouse. To stay with her. But he couldn’t, not yet. If ever. Before he could even consider living his life, he had to stay the course and find Winnie’s daughter. It had become his banner, one he would fly high as he traversed the unknown battle ahead.
    “I do.”
    She sighed. “I don’t agree with you but I won’t argue with you. Please at least eat some food before you hide yourself from me.”
    “I’m not hiding.” He slapped his hat against his leg.
    “Yes you are.” She stuck her nose in the air and returned to the food on the counter. Her back was straight as an arrow, her shoulders stiff. Nick had hurt her, of course. He seemed to be good at that, no matter how much he didn’t want to be. “Eat up and go where you need to go.”
    They sat down at her large table, the room echoed with emptiness with just the two of them. The damn cat still yowled outside, while inside, a very awkward meal progressed. Nick swallowed the slightly tough biscuits and ham but he didn’t taste a bite of it. Winnie picked at her food, which was his fault. The cool well water washed down the food although he was afraid he might see the supper again later.
    Sometimes when Nick was twisted up in knots, so was his stomach. He never told anyone about it, preferring to do his business privately. No one knew any of his secrets.
    Except Winnie.
    She was the only person he ever confessed anything to. There were other things she